My mind is prone to pursue strangeness when it comes to storylines, and in the real world there are strict guidelines (i.e.: laws of physics or social conventions) that act as limiting parameters. In storytelling, the writer is supposed to focus on an aspect of humanity as the crux of the tale…but my personal inclination is to get lost in the weird trappings that surround the characters, whether it be an alien world or a completely unrealistic scenario. I struggle to guide humanity back into the story, but often find myself constrained by the indigenous situations. Political or theological ramifications of our time have little bearing on a character’s motivations if they live on a gas giant planet halfway across the galaxy a few hundred years in the future.

Howarth — best known for THOSE ANNOYING POST BROTHERS — is one of a number of still-active idiosyncratic cartoonists who made their first mark in the indie world of the ’80s, ando find themselves, perhaps, in a world they helped inspire but don’t always benefit from — folks like Steve Lafler, Bob Burden, William Messner-Loebs, and so on. I suspect these fine creators don’t exactly have retirement incomes planned from their ’80s/’90s comics work, and it’s a bit sobering.

§ Speaking of ’80s comics, IDW has been putting out some collections of some of the best of the offbeat pleasures of the era, like FISH POLICE and STARSTRUCK, and the most hilarious, REID FLEMING, WORLD’S TOUGHEST MILKMAN. These books haven’t gotten very much press or blogosphere chatter but they are all very good comics, now in snappy hardcover editions. It truly is the best time to be a comics reader.

§ Over at the changing-even-as-we-speak TCJ.com Rich Kreiner was unimpressed by the Neil Gaiman guest edited BEST AMERICAN COMICS volume, finding it too middlebrow, generally. That reminded us that Alison Bechdel is guest editing the next edition, which should be worth watching, as she’s much more of an outsider to any “school” than many of the previous guest editors. BTW, even if the individual volumes have been hit or miss, it is notable that this series has been continuing for six years now.

I’ve already talked about two Quine movies, The Notorious Landlady, which I didn’t like and How To Murder Your Wife, which I wasn’t even able to finish. The guy knows how to point the camera in the right direction but doesn’t seem to have much of a visual sense. And based on this film he’s not too good with the actors either. This is the first Audrey Hepburn film I’ve seen where she’s actually a bit annoying, her mannerisms turned up to eleven. But maybe the director asked her to do that Audrey Hepburn thing. William Holden is also normally an sympathetic actor, here he’s just trying too hard. The two of them work on the script, then we see them as actors in that movie, only for Holden to scrap that idea and try something else. After half an hour it gets tiresome and there’s still an hour left. If the movie within the movie had been exciting it might have worked. But in the end they decide it’s just silly hackwork. So why exactly have we been watching it?

Rob Liefeld is the Fred Durst of the comic industry. I nominate rip-off artist/crazy ranting/no-talent/no-name Rick Olney as the Charlie Sheen of comics. And if we need someone in that role that is more famous (infamous?), then I would say John Byrne, who can be at times very bat-shit crazy!

I dunno, I see a lot of parallels between Rob Liefeld getting chased out of Image and Charlie Sheen getting chased off “Two and a Half Men,” although obviously without the hookers and blow and all that stuff. But hey, maybe this means that Charlie Sheen will have Alan Moore write all of his upcoming projects? Imagine that!

I want to echo Heidi’s comments about IDW, especially Starstruck. Not just because Elaine Lee is a friend and collaborator, or that my company released a kick-ass audio version of the original play (sorry, shameless plug), but because the more interest in the series in its collected format, the greater the hope that the series will continue at IDW. There are more stories, not to mention Kaluta’s got many, many pages that haven’t seen the light of day yet, and I for one would love to see this brilliant space opera play out to the end.

@Danny: that’s kind of what I figured. Also, just to be clear, I was in no way implying that Marvel was intentionally promoting Nazi memorabilia collecting. It’s just another example of a weird/crazy/goofy ad from the days when you had those types of things running in comic books (part of a regular feature on our blog called It Came From An Old Comic Book).

Dave Sim is a bad analogy to Charlie Sheen because they’re pretty much 180 from each other on the substance-abuse and sexual adventures spectrum. Dave Sim is closer to being the Tom Cruise of comics. Except without the homosexuality rumors.